102. The Pained Heart【Extra Update 12/95】
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Dad snorted dismissively. Even though Mom was showing signs of giving in, her mouth just wouldn’t stop.
“As soon as you get home, all you do is play mahjong! The closet is overflowing with clothes while Lin Nan only has three sets! After all these years of marriage, I’ve hardly seen you cook!”
Lin Nan rolled her eyes next to her mother. As if Dad ever cooked for her! The only thing he did was collapse on the couch every time he came home.
The parents’ fighting made Lin Nan feel even more miserable during this already emotional time.
But Mom, possibly feeling guilty about Lin Nan, didn’t argue back. She simply said, “Look at the medical exam report! It’s for Nan Nan!”
Only then did Dad shut his mouth and obediently look at the report.
This report was from a check-up at the hospital yesterday morning, not Lin Nan’s full-body check-up from before. So it didn’t take long for Dad to finish reading it.
However, his education level was even lower than Mom’s; she finished fifth grade, while he didn’t get past third. He could barely read a few words and, upon finishing, refused to admit that he only understood half of it, casually tossing the report onto the bedside table.
“Lazy to look! You tell me!”
Mom knew Dad’s personality and didn’t bother arguing. She got straight to the point: “Nan Nan is actually a girl.”
“What nonsense! If you want Lin Nan’s house, just say so!” Dad scoffed, tossing the medical report to the floor.
Lin Nan felt a chill run down her spine. She couldn’t understand Dad’s attitude at all.
Forget about her situation; just their talk of divorce, even though they didn’t know yet whose fault it was, but Dad’s willingness to give Mom nothing after a divorce felt so disheartening, along with his glaring double standards…
She took two steps back and lifted her head to look at Dad.
At that moment, Dad finally saw Lin Nan’s face. He frowned and realized this girl in front of him looked exactly like his son.
“When did you have another one out there?” he snorted. “I can’t be bothered with you. Do whatever you like, but once we divorce, I’m not giving you a single cent!”
Mom pulled Lin Nan, who was hiding behind her, closer. “Take a good look, your son!”
“?” Dad was stunned.
“Your son was diagnosed with a birth defect; she’s actually a girl! We’ve had two check-ups; there can’t be any mistake,” Mom continued, her face darkening. “The surgery will cost about a hundred thousand. How much can you contribute?”
“You’re just trying to con me for money! If Lin Nan’s a girl, I can’t be bothered with her! Let her fend for herself!”
Hearing such words, Mom could only look pityingly at Lin Nan, who had pursed her lips and turned her head away.
“Are you serious?”
“I raised a son, not someone else’s daughter-in-law!”
Dad frowned and yelled, “Just get lost! I’m too lazy to argue with you!”
“Is that really how you feel?” Mom asked, incredulous.
“Of course!”
Mom was about to say more, but Lin Nan suddenly broke free from her arm and, head down, headed for the exit.
She panicked and tried to follow Lin Nan, but the door slammed shut as Lin Nan left. By the time she reached the corridor, Lin Nan and Chen Yao had already vanished.
Meanwhile, Lin Nan hurriedly made her way down the stairs, her expression serious while Chen Yao followed closely, worry etched on his face.
He had no idea what Lin Nan was thinking, but what Dad had said had truly struck a nerve.
“Are you okay?” Chen Yao asked, concerned.
“I’m fine.” Lin Nan’s voice was hoarse, her tone devoid of emotion, yet her steps were hurried.
“Where are you going now?”
“Home to grab my stuff for school.”
“The train is at seven tonight; it’s too early…”
“Then I’ll just wait two hours at the station.”
Chen Yao was distressed. Lin Nan wasn’t listening to any advice at this moment, and he had no idea how to soothe her. He could only follow closely behind, trying to help as much as he could.
“What about your mom?”
“Let her do whatever she wants.” Lin Nan reached the entrance of the inpatient department and looked back, faintly catching sight of her mother hurrying downstairs, so she dragged Chen Yao straight into a nearby alley to hide.
It was only now that Chen Yao noticed Lin Nan’s eyes were brimming with tears.
Anyone would probably break down after hearing such things from their father, right?
Chen Yao attempted to pull a tissue from his pocket to wipe Lin Nan’s tears, but he only had his phone and house keys on him.
“He probably doesn’t fully understand the situation…”
“He’s been quite clear about it; why should I bother?” Lin Nan leaned against the wall, tilting her head back, biting her lip, trying hard not to let the tears fall.
“He’s just saying that out of anger.” Chen Yao reassured himself, feeling shy about comforting her.
Lin Nan slowly slid down the wall, squatting on the ground, her head buried in her arms, unwilling to let Chen Yao see her expression.
Even though her relationship with Dad wasn’t deep, when he said to let her fend for herself, it still struck her painfully.
The father-son bond, which had lasted nearly twenty years, was likely just for the sake of passing on the family line in Dad’s eyes, maybe with a bit of supporting him in retirement.
Now that she couldn’t fulfill the purpose of passing on the lineage, and she no longer needed a marriage house as a girl, Dad could easily find another wife after the divorce to bear him a son.
Lin Nan hung her head low, her heart aching as if a chisel had been driven into it. Not even the worst menstrual cramps felt quite as suffocating as this moment.
Huddled on the ground, she curled tighter, letting out low, anguished sobs.
“…” Chen Yao stood beside Lin Nan, listening to her heartbreaking whimpers, he reached out and patted her shoulder.
“How about we change the tickets and go back to school?” he dared not say much and could only try to comfort Lin Nan’s emotions. “Your dad just doesn’t get it; he was angry from arguing with your mom. What he said doesn’t count.”
“If he refuses to pay for your surgery, your mom will surely find a way. If there’s really no money, I can borrow from my parents. Just tell them it’s for his future daughter-in-law!”
“Or I can just send you five hundred now?”
But the money tactic that had worked so well with Lin Nan before seemed ineffective now; all Chen Yao could hear were her soft sobs.
Chen Yao wasn’t good at comforting people, and with Lin Nan seemingly more on the feminine side, comforting her was like climbing Mount Everest—a task he had no idea how to handle. He simply squatted next to Lin Nan, occasionally patting her shoulder, hoping that might help her calm down.
But instead of comforting her, Lin Nan’s sobs grew louder. Finally, she seemed willing to speak.
“I… I…” she stammered, “I don’t want this either… I just want to be normal too. I want to find a girlfriend and get married, and my family even prepared a house for me…”
“I know, it’s not your fault. It’s a birth defect—blame the hospital,” Chen Yao said earnestly, wanting to hug Lin Nan, but feeling it might be too intimate.
“It’s so exhausting living like this… really exhausting. Sometimes, I just want to jump off a building and end it…”
Lin Nan wasn’t a strong person to begin with, but she wasn’t one to open up easily either. When the pressure is too much, she felt like the taut nerve in her head was about to snap at any moment.
——————
And this was followed by more school antics. Ah.
